1. Field:
The subject valve is in the field of apparatus for control of fluids, more specifically valves for control of fluid out of crankcases of internal combustion engines and, still more specifically, such valves which are operable from a point remote from the valve.
2. Prior Art:
There is much prior art in this specific field. The U.S. Patents listed below disclose close prior art known to the inventor of the subject valve: 1,995,174; 3,477,459; 3,650,352; 4,086,981; 4,319,664.
However, the closest known prior art is that of U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 332,596, filed 4/3/89 and Ser. No. 388,064, filed 7/31/89, both by the subject inventor.
These examples of prior art have their relative advantages and disadvantages but, to the knowledge of the subject inventor, no valve in this specific field is known to have achieved significant commercial success. This lack of success is believed to be attributable to unacceptable relationships of cost and reliability in prior art valves. Accordingly, the prime objective of the subject invention is to provide, for draining oil from engine crankcase, a remotely operable valve which combines an acceptable combination of cost and reliability of the valve. A second objective is that the valve have a low profile to minimize the chances of damage caused by the decrease in ground clearance caused by installation of the valve.